at the state level and send them to state. and make government more efficient, cut back the number of employees, combine agencies and departments, cutbacks done through attrition by the way. this is the approach we have to take to get america to the balancedbudget. >> i put forth a budget plan, it's on a website, you can look at the numbers. the way we do it $2.50 for every cut, we ask for $1 of additional revenue, paid for as i indicated earlier by asking those of us who have done very well in this country to contribute a little bit more to reduce the deficit. governor romney earlier mentioned how the bowles-simpson commission. that's a bipartisan commission that talked about how we should move forward suggested we have to do it. in a balanced way with some revenue and some spending cuts. and this is a major difference that governor romney and i have. >> let me finish this point. you're looking for contrasts. when governor romney stood on a stage with other republican candidates for the nomination, and he was asked, would you take $10 of spending cuts for just $1 of revenue, and he said no. >>

on the big questions of the economy and role of government. if you are the challenger and hold your own, you walk off the stage happy. >> critics of the president say he's two proffesorial. i think they'll say that tonight. >> and more. we have a horse race. mitt romney's performance was head and shoulders than anything we've seen before. >> you think this was his best debate? >> he drove this debate far more than anyone else imagined. mitt romney seized upon the opportunity and set the standard for it i think the president -- i didn't think he was rusty, as i don't think anybody has ever spoken to him like that over the last four years, and i think he found it not only surprising, but offensive. looked like he was angry at time. i think overall, you have to say -- to my surprise, i had not expected this. i think mitt romney won the debate. >> you thought there was a moment that mitt romney was particularly strong. i'll play that and then we'll talk about it. >> i just don't know how the president could have come into office, facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, an econ

care, then government. very broad suggests which would include any number of questions. each candidates gets two minutes to answer and then the rest of the time will be in discussing it. i want to bring in jessica yellin now. i know you've got an exclusive look at how the president's preparing for these debates. >> that's right. i'm told that right now, president obama is with the first lady. that's after he did a little bit of debate prep in his hotel room and now, the two are relaxing at the hotel. all of this came after the president had 72 intense hours of virtual lockdown at a debate prep camp in nevada. cnn has learned president obama has been squeezing in his study time for this debate, reading late at night at the residences, working on air force one and cramming with advisers at the white house, but aides say in washington, it's never a top priority. to give him total debate emersion, the president's team took him to the nevada desert. >> basically, they're keeping me indoors all the time. it's a drag. they're making me do my homework. >> his study hall was a sparse ballroom in

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